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Publication of the opening lecture by Pr Peter Sloterdijk

Print edition
Cover of the printed edition of Prof. Peter Sloterdijk's opening lecture

Peter Sloterdijk

The Continent without qualities

What is European identity today ? Can Europeans overcome the temptations of nihilism, skepticism and self-negation ?

Inhabited by half a billion people, a coveted refuge for countless migrants, Europe has been seeking a new definition for itself and its peoples since the end of the Second World War. In the form of the European Union, it has achieved a political improvisation that was not foreseen in the scenarios of world history. This quasi-continent has created a large political body which, despite its vast dimen- sions, has neither the convictions nor the posture of an empire.

In such a situation, those who dedicate themselves to the mission of rethinking Europe must be aware that they will have to formulate concepts for a political and cultural novelty whose existence is still largely unknown.Willthis " continent without qualities " be able to overcome the temptations of skepticism, nihilism and self-regulation to forge a new identity ?

French text prepared in collaboration with Olivier Mannoni.

Sloterdijk P., Le Continent sans qualités, Paris, Collège de France, coll. "Leçons inaugurales ",no 332, November 2024, 48  p.

ISBN : 978-2-7226-0773-6
Price :12 
Publication :14  november 2024

Peter Sloterdijk is a German philosopher and essayist, author of numerous works translated into French, from Critique de la raison cynique (2000) to Le Remords de Prométhée. From the Gift of Fire to Global Destruction by Fire (2023). He is guest professor at the Collège de France's The Invention of Europe through languages and cultures Annual Chair (2023-2024), created in partnership with the French Ministry of Culture.